Report to our Community 2018-2019

A Message from the President

At Niagara Casinos we continue to make bold moves and try new things. At the same time, we remain true

to our values, with our long-standing commitment to community development deeply embedded

throughout our business. We also continue to explore new opportunities to help solve major societal

challenges in the areas of diversity and inclusion, environmental protection, affordable housing, healthcare

and education.

Our 4,200 associates are the inspiration for our Community Giving Program, ncCommunity. They have rallied

around our support of over 170 charities and non-profits within the Niagara region. At the core of our

company’s success is our associate’s talent and dedication; they make the difference.

Thank you to the hundreds of associate volunteers and our community partners for being an instrumental

part of positive change throughout our region. We are proud to support you on your journey.

Richard Taylor, President, Niagara Casinos

ncCommunity Program Overview

We are fortunate to have a team of great people that genuinely care about those in need and

continue to get involved and make a difference in our community. The core focus of our program’s

outreach encompasses social improvement through ncCommunity sponsorships and donations,

volunteerism through our Sunshine Program and associate fundraising campaigns for United Way

Niagara. We look to provide remarkable service to those seeking assistance, earn trust and loyalty

with community partners and work as one team with our associates on their recommendations for

giving.

Program Fast Facts:

We support over 170 charities and non-profits within the Niagara region

Over 3,000 volunteer hours invested into community programs

$162,000 in associate fundraising each year

$1.24 million donated each year

5,000 pans of food donated to the local Soup Kitchen each year

$3.5 million donated to support Niagara Health System’s three largest emergency rooms

$750,000 provided to the Canadian Cancer Society, Niagara Unit, in support of various signature

events

We are committed to building a stronger Niagara with our dedicated associates, our business

partners and stakeholders by understanding and responding to those in need.

Communtiy

The Arts

Education

Envrionment

Diversity & Inclusion

Health

This is the start of something BIG

Program sponsorships, volunteerism and enhanced message exposure are the most direct way our team assists

with helping to provide affordable housing, shelter and emergency food supplies throughout the region. By

working alongside organizations such as Project S.H.A.R.E, the Niagara Falls Community Outreach Soup Kitchen,

Habitat for Humanity Niagara and Positive Living Niagara we are able to support causes that create real

positive change in our community.

Since 2016, we have participated in 12 build days with 102 volunteers, providing over $42,000 in donations for

Habitat for Humanity Niagara. This year we will be contributing an additional $50,000 along with 320 hours of

volunteer work towards Habitat Niagara’s Building Future Program and the construction of three homes in

Niagara Falls.

Our Food & Beverage team delivers 26 pans of food 4 times per week to local soup kitchens

We represent 44% of total donations to Project S.H.A.R.E through seasonal campaigns

“We have built a great relationship with

Community Outreach over the past 4 years, it feels

good to be part of something larger than yourself.”

– Rosemary Girardo, Director Food & Beverage,

Niagara Casinos

“I love that you can say, ‘we built

that deck’ or ‘I painted these walls’,

it’s a sense of accomplishment that

is unique and empowering.”

– Margaret March, Housekeeping

Supervisor, Niagara Casinos

Bringing our Community Together

ncCommunity encourages all associates to participate and to get involved, it works with our volunteers to help

champion causes within our community that our team is passionate about.

Highlights Include:

Presenting sponsors of Niagara Falls Rotary Ribfest which provides funds to Pathstone Mental Health, school

breakfast programs, the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara and Literacy Niagara

City of Niagara Falls donations to support Canada Day Celebrations, Coronation 50 Plus Volunteers and the

Trillium Awards

Presenting sponsors of Niagara Grape & Wine Festivals and host sponsor of the Icewine Gala

Providing funding for local events including: the Welland Rose Festival, Fort Erie Friendship Festival, Summer Daze

BBQ Competition, International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration, Pelham Summer Festival, St. Catharines

Rotary Ribfest, Feast Street Niagara, Winter Wine Fest and many more!

Celebrating our Diversity

Niagara Casinos is committed to achieving diversity and inclusivity by fostering an environment that is

representative of both our communities and the customers that we serve. We transcend this objective to our work

within the local community by initiatives that actively promote a positive inclusive environment where all members

of our society are supported to thrive and succeed.

Pride Niagara

In 2018, Niagara Casinos’ were presenting sponsors for Pride Niagara’s Pride in the Park

event. Pride Niagara is a celebration of Niagara’s sexual and gender diverse

community and its supporters. They provide social activities and information for LGBTQ

groups across the region, including a rainbow flag raising ceremony, UNITY Awards

(gala recognizing individuals that have made an impact on the LGBTQ community)

and Pride In The Park (an all ages festival). Niagara Casinos’ provides financial and

volunteer support to ensure that each of these events is a success and continues to be

an integral part of our community.

Migrant Workers Festival

During the Spring and Summer months, Niagara recruits international workers to help

with agricultural growth and harvest throughout the region. The majority of these

seasonal migrant workers are from Mexico, Jamaica and the Caribbean Islands.

Niagara Casinos works with various programs that assist with ensuring social inclusion,

health care, transportation, equal access to employment, language accessibility and

access to education throughout their stay.

Positive Living Niagara

ncCommunity funded the program to help raise awareness for HIV/AIDS within our

community. Associates volunteered their knitting skills to help produce over

100 scarves which were distributed throughout the St. Catharines downtown core.

Empowering our Female Leaders

Our ncwomen’s programming focuses on empowering our female staff of 1,900 strong through resiliency training,

mental health sessions, networking opportunities and community volunteerism. We celebrate each others

achievements, promote our strengths and build each other up by funding and participating in: the Niagara Falls’

Women’s Half Marathon, CMHA Women & Wellness events, Habitat for Humanity builds and the Big Brothers Big

Sisters Go Girls! program.

Program Stand-Outs:

International Women’s Day

This year we were proud to partner with the Greater Niagara Chamber of

Commerce and bring their International Women’s Day celebration to Niagara

Casinos, making it the largest women’s event in Niagara to date! The event

featured guest speaker five-time Olympic Silver Medalist Charmaine Crooks who

shared messages of female perseverance in sport and in our personal lives. Start

Me Up Niagara, United Way Niagara and Leadership Niagara were also in

attendance to demonstrate the importance of providing future generations of

women with no disadvantages to their income, no limits to their potential and no

barriers to their career success based on gender.

Walk A Mile in Her Shoes in Support of Gillian’s Place

Walk A Mile is a symbolic march that gives men the

opportunity to take a stand against the societal

restrictions and domestic violence against women

and children in our region. As sponsors of the event for

the past three years and as presenting sponsor this

year, our company has provided a total of $80,500 in

combined fundraising and corporate donations. All of

the funds raised help to provide additional beds,

food, clothing and counselling services to Gillian’s

Place women’s shelter which serves over 1,576

women and children in Niagara.

Building a Future of Success

A vital component of our region’s prosperity is a quality education offered

by our local institutions. We work alongside our community partners to fund

diverse programming that can effectively equip students with

industry-leading skill sets for graduate success. As presenting sponsors of

Niagara College’s Seafood Gala for over 15 years and strong supporters of

Brock University, we are proud to be part of their initiatives to help make

post-secondary education more accessible and affordable.

Leadership Niagara

Each year, Niagara Casinos partners with Brock University’s Leadership

Niagara Program which brings together individuals who are recognized as

emerging leaders and provides opportunities for these participants to help

local non-profits with their program development. This year our team

members included:

Andrew Chechalk, Analyst, and Laura Gilmore, Entertainment Programs

Manager, worked with the Rotary Club of St. Catharines to focus on the

opening of Shania Kids Can Clubhouse to enhance public education.

Dave Schellenberg, Engineering Supervisor, partnered with Gateway

Residential & Community Support Services and RAFT Niagara to help

develop 40 affordable rental housing units in St. Catharines.

Kailash Manohar, IT Security Database Manager, worked with a team to

develop an automated scheduling system to strengthen early learning

education for A Child’s World Niagara.

A Healthy Outside Starts from the Inside

Health and wellness is a key component of ncCommunity. We strive to improve accessibility to quality

healthcare through our investment in the Niagara Health Foundation, Pathstone Mental Health, Hospice

Niagara, Rankin Cancer Run, Wellspring Niagara, the Steve Ludzik Foundation for Parkinson's Research,

the Canadian Cancer Society Niagara Unit, Pearl Gloves Charity Boxing Event for MS and the Hotel Dieu

Shaver Foundation…just to name a few.

Celebrity Ice Cup for Hotel Dieu Shaver

As major sponsors, the event featured a two-day hockey tournament giving amateur hockey players the

opportunity to play against legendary NHL alumni. This is the first year where in addition to our corporate

donation, our Fallsview Falcons hockey team raised over $10,800 to assist with the purchase of much

needed physiotherapy equipment, stroke rehabilitation enhancements and equipment for the Rankin

Family Cancer Rehabilitation Centre.

“Your contributions have helped

purchase state-of-the-art equipment

and technology to diagnose and treat

thousands of patients who rely on

Niagara Health each year.” –

Roger D. Ali, President & CEO,

Niagara Health Foundation

“With the tremendous support from

donors such as you, we have been able

to grow and expand our programs and

services enabling us to reach over

18,000 individuals annually.” –

Carol Nagy, Executive Director,

Hospice Niagara

Art Transcends Boundaries

We are honoured to support and celebrate the amazing

achievements of our local artists, talented performers and inspiring

educators. The arts bring us joy, help us express our values, foster

creativity and build bridges between cultures. Niagara Casinos is

proud to provide the funding to commemorate individuals and

programs that work to strengthen our communities through artistic

outreach.

Highlights Include:

Funding for the Niagara Pumphouse‘s Art By The Lighthouse annual

event which supports year-round education programs and

exhibitions to nurture the talent of local artists at all levels.

Major sponsors of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra which is

comprised over 50 musicians that provide classical and

contemporary orchestral music to more that 12,000 Niagara

residents annually.

Donors to Bravo Niagara’s Voices of Freedom Festival bringing

together the best in Canadian jazz and soulful music to highlight

inclusiveness, empowerment and the importance of freedom in our

community.

Major sponsors of the Niagara Jazz Festival celebrating 265 local

musicians through annual performances.

Funding for the City of St. Catharines Art’s Awards recognizing

excellence in all areas of artistic creation.

Taking Care of Our Niagara

Sustainability is about seeing the big picture and working together

towards a better, more environmentally friendly future. Our

community outreach includes working with the City of Niagara Falls’

Clean Sweep programming to maintain a litter-free neighbourhood,

providing monetary support to Links for Greener Learning and

coordinating internal hikes for our associates with Heartland Forest.

Moments That Ignite

All of our used electronics and household items are donated to

Habitat for Humanity Niagara who recycles these items responsibly

and retains the profit for their charitable programs. That’s over

4,700 pieces each year!

Our EVS and Hotel Housekeeping team utilize ozonized water for

cleaning rather than chemicals.

We have introduced regeneration eco-friendly uniforms which use

66% less energy when laundered.

Our in-house recycling consists of three major waste streams: trash

(non-recyclable/ non- organics), single stream recycling for paper,

plastic and metals and organics.

We received the 4 Green Keys rating from Green Keys Global for

sustainable meeting/convention facilities and practices.

“It’s nice to volunteer

and it’s nice to give

back to the community

and help out…we want

to clean up our city

and make it beautiful.”

– Amy Clark, Admin

Assistance Finance &

Operations,

Niagara Casinos

United Way Niagara

Through our fundraising with United Way Niagara we are able to help an additional 103 programs at

48 agencies. Our United Way events committee is comprised of 11 volunteer associates who work with various

departments throughout our organization to plan and execute fundraising events for United Way Niagara. The

phenomenal success of our fundraising is a reflection of the dedication and enthusiasm of our associates. The

year-long campaign kicks off each January with the support from local restaurants, tourist attractions, sports

affiliates and vendors who assist with tickets and silent auction fundraising for each of our events.

In 2018 we raised over $215,000 and were honoured to be named “Corporation of the Year” by the charitable

organization.

Since our first campaign in 1997, we have contributed nearly $6 million to the United Way.

United Way Niagara

“As a long-time contributor to the United Way,

both financially and through volunteerism,

Niagara Casinos helps to make it possible for us

to invest in programs that improve the lives of

families throughout our Niagara region.” –

Frances Hallworth, Executive Director,

Niagara Community Foundation

Through Niagara Casinos’ Endowment Fund of over $1 million, we are able to invest an additional $35,000

into charitable grant programs with the Niagara Community Foundation each year!

2018 Stand-Out Grants

Big Brothers & Big Sisters

Funds to help develop a new organizational structure by amalgamating two organizations

(St. Catharines & Niagara Falls) in neighbouring communities.

The Village of Hope

Supported the delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables to the most vulnerable in the community who are

currently receiving Meals on Wheels services.

Project S.H.A.R.E

Provided funding to develop procedures and train a group of volunteers for their ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’

program.

Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake

Funded their Black History educational program that included an interactive mobile application walking tour

complementing the Voices of Freedom Park.

Open Arms Mission of Welland Inc.

Purchased poly box trucks and a conveyer unit to move large amounts of canned and dry foods to improve

the safety and efficiency of the warehouse.

Quest Community Health Centre

Funded equipment to support 10 cultural competency training workshops.

ncCommunity Sunshine Program

A volunteer offers their gift of time, inspires hope and dreams, enjoys helping others, encourages team

work, is selfless, generous and kind, while always extending a helping hand.

Through our Sunshine Program we support our associates in paying it forward! When employees complete

8 hours of volunteer service, Niagara Casinos provides a $100 donation to their charity in appreciation of

their efforts and dedication.

Since 2015, our associates have contributed over 3,130 volunteer hours through the program – that’s

$39,200 in community donations!

2018 marked our highest year for volunteerism with over $13,000 given back to the community.

Top organizations included the Niagara Falls Community Outreach Soup Kitchen, Women’s Place of

South Niagara and the MS Society of Niagara.

“It’s the little things that make a difference and I’m happy that we have such a great team of volunteers who work

together to help make our community stronger.” - Teresa Howell, Restaurant Manager, Niagara Casinos

To Our Supporters

to our community partners who provided gifts and donations to

assist with our associate fundraising this year!

Swiss Fudge

The Famous Niagara Ice Dogs Doc Magilligan’s Restaurant & Irish Pub Falls Manor Resort Fashion U Turn Red Lobster HOCO Entertainment & Resorts Peninsula Lakes Golf Course

White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa Beechwood Golf & Social House Bird Kingdom Niagara River Lions Eagle Valley Golf Club & Golf Academy Safari Niagara Chuck’s Roadhous Bar & Grill

Presents Niagara Havana Tobacconist

Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc.

Captain Jack’s Fun Centre Rolling Meadows Golf & Country Club Silversmith Brewery Steam Whistle Brewing MLSE Sports & Entertainment Hard Rock Café Greg Frewin Theatre Hockey Hall of Fame

Dragon’s Fire Golf Club Pelham Hills Golf Course Strada West Canyon Creek Molson Coors Red Bull Canada Inc. Labatt Breweries Ontario

Cherry Hill Golf Club LA Fitness Niagara Falls Zehrs Niagara Falls

The Maple Syrup Store

Hornblower Niagara Cruises Thundering Waters Golf Course International Country Club of Niagara Mommaz Boyz Pub & Eatery Fudge Factory Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours Canadian Corps Unit 104 Marineland Canada

Niagara Helicopters Limited Niagara Falls Golf Club Carpaccio Restaurant & Wine Bar Ripley’s Believe It or Not Zappi’s Pizzeria The Hilton Niagara Falls Fallsview Carmine’s Pizza

Swarovski Regency Athletic Resort

Moving Forward

Our company values are

entrenched in every program

we create. We look to

provide remarkable service to

those seeking assistance,

earn trust and loyalty with

community partners and

work as one team with our

associates on their

recommendations for giving.

We look forward to the

challenges ahead and

welcome the opportunity to

give back to our Niagara.